WHITE     MEMORIES 


MRS.   A.  D,  T  WHITNEY 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


WHITE    MEMORIES 


WHITE  MEMORIES 


BY 

MRS.  A.  D.  T.  WHITNEY 


BOSTON    AND   NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

&be  Rtoewibe  ftostf,  Cambnbgc 

1894 


Copyright,  1893, 
Bv  ADELINE  D.  T.  WHITNEY. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Co. 


OF   THREE 

WHO   NEED  NO   MEMORIAL: 

liUT 
WHOM  WE   LOVE  AND   REMEMBER  TOGETHER, 

AS   HAVING   BEEN    NEAR 

IN   PLACE  AND   FRIENDSHIP   UPON   THE  EARTH, 
AND   HAVING   PASSED  ON  TOGETHER 

AS   IF   HAND   IN   HAND, 
INTO  THE   HEAVENLY   PLACES. 


759462 


CONTENTS 


PACE 

PHILLIPS    BROOKS 9 

JOHN   GREENLEAF    WHITTIER 13 

LUCY   LARCOM  .  19 


PHILLIPS   BROOKS 


PHILLIPS   BROOKS 

.USHED  is  the  grandest  utterance  of 

earth. 
The  strongest  voice  for  God  to  men 

is  stilled ; 
The  world's  thought  so  with  such  great  death 

is  filled, 
It  loses  conscience  of  the  mightier  birth. 

Brief  leadership,  and  then  —  a  silent  bier ; 

A  place  left  vacant  that  no  man  can  take ; 

A  corner-stone  uprooted  with  earthquake : 
So  seemeth  it  to  have  befallen  here. 

Count  we  the  other  side  ?  —  God's  days  and  years  ? 

His    ones    and    thousands  ?    and    how    spirit 
powers 

Once  clothed  in  this  humanity  of  ours, 
In  separate,  urge  it  forward  through  the  spheres  ? 


PHILLIPS   BROOKS 

When  Christ  was  lifted  up,  all  men  were  drawn. 
All  manhood  in  the  Son  of  Man  did  rise 
With  one  ascending  to  the  shining  skies, 

Where  the  deep   night  was  broken  with  great 
dawn. 

No  smallest  life  can  go  without  such  hold 
On  the  dear  common  nature  it  hath  known, 
Through  something  it  has  made  its  very  own, 

As  moves  that  something  with  a  force  untold. 

So  earth  throbs  upward  to  the  waiting  heaven  ; 

So  each  withdrawal  is  impulsion  on ; 

And  high  departure  is  not  helping  gone, 
But  tenfold  grasp  of  tenfold  strengthening  given. 

We  who  have  ever  felt  the  pulse  of  him 
Quicken  our  own  with  its  diviner  thrill, 
Think  we  it  fails,  grows  far,  or  faint,  or  chill, 

Because  he  stands  among  the  seraphim  ? 

Priest,  prophet,  king !     Death  hath  no  touch  of 

thee! 

Life,  surging  with  thee,  sweeps  our  spirits  in 
Where  thy  new  consecration  doth  begin, 

Bishop  of  souls,  for  Christ's  eternity ! 


JOHN   GREENLEAF  WHITTIER 


JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER 

.NIGHT,   Laureate,  Lord,  —  no   other 

name  so  high 

Of  all  the  titles  men  may  call  men  by ; 
No  other  word  all  else  doth  so  tran- 
scend 
As  that  he  simply  chose  and  witnessed,  —  Friend. 

For  "  Friend "  means  one  who  can  love  bound- 
lessly. 

No  small  relation,  just  of  you  with  me, 
May  such  a  style  and  statelihood  confer, 
Or  gauge  its  sign  to  soul-diameter. 

"  Friend "  reaches    all   and   holds   all,  draws  all 

near, 

Is  heart  to  heart  with  the  whole  rounded  sphere 
'5 


JOHN   GREENLEAF   WHITTIER 

Of  beautiful  and  wide  reality  : 

God's  heaven,  and  earth,  and  dear  humanity. 

So  had  he  friendship ;  so  each  thing  was  kin 
And  comrade  to  his  nature.     Deep  within 
He  found  its  meaning,  its  sweet  secret  read, 
And  with  strong  utterance  interpreted. 

Suns,  stars,  and  winds,  mountains,  and   mighty 

seas, 

And  singing  streams,  and  upward  lifting  trees, 
And  snows,  and  rains,  and  clouds,  and  blessed 

grass 
That   makes   earth  pleasant  for  tired  feet  that 

pass,  — 

All  these  were  as  a  living  part  of  him. 
What  others  felt  remote  with  senses  dim, 
Came  to  his  spirit  keen  and  all  alight 
With  apprehension  of  interior  sight. 

So  he  was  poet ;  so  translated  them, 
As  John  revealed  the  New  Jerusalem. 
With  grasp  of  all,  he  touched  the  special ;  wide 
His  love  of  one,  with  all  he  loved  beside. 
16 


JOHN   GREENLEAF   WHITTIER 

In  such  supreme  capacity  of  mind 
His  great  affection  gathered  human  kind : 
Fathered  his  race,  like  princely  Abraham, 
Because  as  friend  he  walked  with  the  I  Am. 

He  cared,  as  God  cares,  from  the  soul  of  good, 
For  his  beseeching,  waiting  brotherhood  : 
He  served  as  Christ  serves,  who  from  glory  bends 
And  tells  his  fishermen,  I  call  you  friends ! 
17 


LUCY   LARCOM 


LUCY  LARCOM 


I)HO  shall  make  verse  for  her  while  her 

own  verse 
Stands  written  of  her  ?     Or  who  need 

rehearse 

The  story,  noble-sweet,  herself  hath  told, 
Setting  in  silver  lines  its  rounded  gold  ? 

Child  of  light,  Lucy !  a  fair  valley  combe 
Her  quiet  heart,  where  happy  birds  made  home ; 
Sloping  full  eastward,  so  the  larks  took  wing 
At  quick  sunrise,  and  wondrously  did  sing ; 
Long  since  her  name  revealed  itself  to  me 
In  such  wise,  without  help  of  heraldry. 

It  was  her  baptism  for  her  errand  here. 
Can  her  "  new  name  "  be  lovelier  ?     Its  cheer 
21 


LUCY  LARCOM 

Of  syllables  so  rich,  yet  lowly  meek, 
I  think  the  angels  will  delight  to  speak. 

And  she  is  with  them.     Her  dear  work  remains, 
And  follows,  being  one.     Though  higher  strains 
Open  her  heaven-touched  lips  divinely  now, 
She  breathed  their  prelude  for  our  hearts  below  — 
Lovely  transcription  of  the  theme  that  waits 
With  its  full  harmony  beyond  the  gates. 

All  things  of  sweetness  and  delight  were  hers. 

In  every  line  she  worded,  something  stirs 

Of    that   which   makes   air  fresh  and   sunshine 

fair, 

And  life  and  truth  a-blossom  everywhere. 
Hers  the  clear  vision  that  could  always  see 
In  simplest  form  the  central  majesty ; 
Herself  so  simple  and  sincere  of  soul, 
She  read  God's  manuscript  as  open  scroll. 

These  things  are  true  of  royal  human  nature : 
Lowly  to  bow,  one  needs  be  high  of  stature ; 
Strong,  to  be  gentle ;  grand,  to  be  truly  meek  : 
Such  is  the  grace  of  which  the  Christ  did  speak. 


LUCY  LARCOM 

This  woman  wore  it  all.     Her  spirit  birth 

By  spirit  law  inherited  the  earth. 

With  quiet  feet  she  walked  her  great  domain 

By  quiet  ways,  serenely  straight  and  plain ; 

Yet  failed  not  ever  of  her  regal  dues, 

But  gathered,  as  she  went,  her  revenues. 

And  now,  right  on,  beyond  the  bars  of  light 
Whose    blaze   shuts    out    our   straining    earthly 

sight, 

By  that  same  path  so  reverently  trod 
She  passes  to  the  very  throne  of  God 
Whence  her  high  beckonings  made  sign,  to  stand 
With   sons   and   daughters  at   the  King's  right 

'  hand, 

And  take  the  promise  of  the  holy  page 
That  gives  the  blessed  all  their  heritage  : 

"  Come,  to  your  Father  !     For  this  hour  sublime 
The  worlds  were  built,  and  all  the  signs  of  time 
Laid  in  their  deep  foundations.     Ye  believed 
Greatly,  and  greatly  therefore  have  received. 
Freely  ye  gave ;  your  Lord  gives  freely,  too ; 
Behold,  His  Kingdom  is  prepared  for  you  !  " 
23 


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